Contract n 2005 CE.16.0.AT.015. A report to: The European Commission Directorate-General Regional Policy Evaluation and additionality

Transcription

1 Strategic Evaluation on Innovation and the Knowledge Based Economy in relation to the Structural and Cohesion Funds, for the programming period Contract n 2005 CE.16.0.AT.015 A report to: The European Commission Directorate-General Regional Policy Evaluation and additionality Country Report: MALTA Version: Final Report produced by: Matthieu Lacave Lacave Allemand & Associés In association with LACAVE, ALLEMAND & ASSOCIES CONSULTANTS 7 July 2006

2 Legal Notice Neither the European Commission, nor any person action on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. The views of this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the European Commission.

3 CONTENTS Executive Summary i 1 Introduction 1 2 Investing in innovation and knowledge: a comparative overview of regional performance Country overview: innovation and the knowledge economy Regional disparities and recent trends Conclusions: innovation and knowledge performance 8 3 Innovation and knowledge: institutional context and policy mix at national and regional levels Institutional and legal framework for innovation and the knowledge economy Policy mix assessment Conclusions: the national innovation system and policy mix Structural Funds interventions to boost innovation and create a knowledge economy: Strategic framework for Structural Fund support to innovation and knowledge Strategic approach to innovation & knowledge in Structural Fund programmes Specific measures in favour of innovation and knowledge Learning from experience: the Structural Funds and innovation since Management and coordination of innovation & knowledge measures Effects and added value of Structural Fund support for innovation and knowledge Conclusions: Structural Funds interventions in favour of innovation and knowledge 29 5 Regional potential for innovation: a prospective analysis Factors influencing regional innovation potential A prospective SWOT appraisal of regional innovation potential Conclusions: regional innovation potential Future priorities for Structural Fund support for innovation and knowledge: options for intervention Strategic orientations for Structural Fund investments in innovation and knowledge Operational guidelines to maximising effectiveness of Structural Fund interventions for innovation and knowledge Malta doc 2

4 Executive Summary Composed of two main islands, Malta is the smallest country of the European Union and suffers from specific territorial constraints highly urbanised; high population density; narrowness of the internal market; waste, water and energy management constraints; accessibility and infrastructure issues which impact on Maltese economic competitiveness and its innovation performance. Strongly dependent on the tourism industry and foreign economies, the innovation performance of Malta is insufficient. The analysis reveals the low level of both public and private R&D expenditure and the weak position of Malta with regard to human resources indicators. Malta has a high rate of population without a higher level of education; it has a high rate of early school leavers and a low rate of participation in life long learning. There is a shortfall of high skilled technicians and engineers. In addition, the dualistic nature of the enterprise sector, clearly divided into a few number of large foreign owned export-oriented companies and a large sector of domestic, family owned, not innovation-oriented micro-enterprises, implies the low level of industry, business and research collaboration and technology transfer. The R&D base is not backed by the business sector. Finally, the lack of innovation culture among business, students and researchers, and until recently among policy-makers explains also some of the weaknesses. However, Malta is at a turning point. Under both the international context (greater competition, oil crisis) and the EU accession pressure, Malta gives evidence since that research and innovation is occupying a higher position on the national agenda. Concrete steps have recently been taken to ensure a better coordination of the innovation policy at government level by acknowledging a prominent role to the Malta Council for Science and Technology. The current policy mix which has been relying on the RTDI Strategy for (MCST), the National ICT Strategy and a number of initiatives led by Malta Enterprise and the MCST is now changing. The Pre-Budget Document of the Prime Minister and the new RTDI Strategy for (still under preparation) reflect a clear shift in the policy rationale from investments in science and technology per se to investments in S&T as drivers for innovation and economic growth, thus to industry and innovation-driven research in niche market areas. The Structural Funds innovation and knowledge based economy related interventions for have been very limited (from 0.3% to 1.1% of the total Cohesion Policy, depending on the calculation methods). Clearly, the Maltese SPD was not innovation-oriented. The innovation support actions have been diluted within three measures of which the innovative profile was not explicit. Mostly funded by the ESF, the actions were mainly focused on basic training, re-skilling of workers of traditional sectors and craft industries (especially in the Island of Gozo), entrepreneurship training and innovation training. ERDF-funded support targeted SMEs through technical audits, product design, quality management and innovation management. Of a limited amount, the support has encountered some success in improving the innovation management skills within public entities and innovative technological capacities within businesses. 591 Malta doc i

5 The recent and ongoing foresight studies (eforesee, RIS MARIS) and the most recent policy documents which provide the new Maltese RTDI policy framework of the coming years stress the challenges that Malta is facing and the innovation potential: i) developing high added value activities in maltese traditional economic sectors (tourism, financial services); ii) developing high-tech manufacturing and services in ICT and niche market areas (e.g. generic pharmaceutical manufacturing); iii) developing innovation management capacities within local enterprises; and iv) developing human skills for innovation and R&D. Taking into account the results of the currently ending SF programming period , the clear shift in the policy rationale and the Maltese innovation potential, innovation related SF interventions for should be focused on supporting : - the technology up-grade of firms and training of business managers towards innovation - a clustering process in ICT and niche market strategies based upon strong partnerships (academia-research-business linkages) - the development of a dedicated technology transfer organisation and nurturing projects - the supply of knowledge workers through the promotion of science and technology studies, training and mobility schemes targeting researchers - the development of equity finance in the framework of JEREMIE In line with the orientations stressed in the National Strategic Reference Framework Programme, these interventions should be completed by: i) some adaptations in the programme management system; and ii) a strategic thinking on the use of EU innovation programmes for optimising effectiveness of SFs interventions for innovation and knowledge and synergies between the EU innovation programmes (FP7, CIP, JEREMIE, Neighbourhood Policy, European Territorial Cooperation, etc.). As a matter of fact, Malta is a very small country with limited natural, human and financial resources. Participation in international at least European cooperation thus becomes crucial for diversifying the sources of funding, exchanging and transferring know-how and knowledge. 591 Malta doc ii

6 1 Introduction In March 2000, the EU Heads of State and government launched an ambitious political initiative for the European Union to become the most competitive, dynamic, knowledge-based economy by year The agenda, which has become known as the Lisbon Strategy, has included a broad range of policies and regulatory measures to achieve this goal. At the 2005 Spring Council of European Union, Heads of State and government concluded that all appropriate national and Community resources, including those of Cohesion Policy, should be mobilised in order to renew the basis of Europe s competitiveness, increase its growth potential and its productivity and strengthen social cohesion, placing the main emphasis on knowledge, innovation and the optimisation of human capital. In short, the Council recognised that while some progress has been made since 2000 in moving towards the goals enshrined in the Lisbon Strategy there remains a need to create a new partnership for growth and jobs 1 In launching the discussion on the priorities for the new generation of cohesion policy programmes, the Commission published on 6 July 2005 draft Community Strategic Guidelines entitled Cohesion Policy in Support of Growth and Jobs: Community Strategic Guidelines, One of the specific guideline is to improve the knowledge and innovation for growth. More specific areas of interventions, which are proposed by the Commission, include: improve and increase investment in RTD, facilitate innovation and promote entrepreneurship, promote the information society for all, and improve access to finance. 2 Innovation is an important factor in releasing the potential of the Lisbon agenda. The knowledge captured in new technologies and processes can drive growth and competitiveness and create new jobs. But knowledge must be treated as part of a wider framework in which business grow and operate. Developing knowledge-based economy requires adequate levels of investment in R&D, education, and ICT as well as creating a favourable environment for innovation. Less developed areas of the Union are also confronted with this new competitiveness challenge. Increasing cohesion leads to improvements in living standards and the reduction of economic and social disparities, which depend to an important extent on increases in productivity. Increasing competitiveness implies economic change through the introduction of new technologies and new methods of production as well as the development of new skills. Innovation is at the heart of this process. Technological and organisational change and new demands generated by rising income levels and factors which create new economic opportunities and therefore, contribute to the growth potential of these countries. 1 Communication to the Spring European Council (2005) Working together for growth and jobs: A new start for the Lisbon Strategy, COM(2005) 141. Available at: 2 Communication from the Commission (2005) Cohesion Policy in Support of Growth and Jobs: Community Strategic Guidelines, , COM(2005) Available at: Malta doc 1

7 Structural Funds are the main Community instruments to promote economic and social cohesion. In the past and current programmes, they have contributed to enhance the research potential and innovation in businesses and to develop the information society, particularly in the less developed areas. Cohesion policy has also promoted the development of regional innovation strategies and other similar initiatives in the field of the information society. The overall objective of the strategic evaluation study, as set out in the terms of reference, is that the study should provide conclusions and recommendations for the future of Structural Fund and Cohesion policy. In particular, the Strategic Evaluation will be used to prepare the negotiations with the Member States for , to prepare the next operational programmes and to provide input into the 4th Economic and Social Cohesion Report. In line with the tender specifications, this country report addresses the following issues: 1 An analysis of the current situation in the field of innovation and the knowledgebased economy at national and regional level. For the national level, performance is compared to the average performance for the EU25 Member States plus Romania and Bulgaria; and at regional level, where possible given available statistics, compared to a typology of EU regions; 2 Lessons from the past and current experience of implementing innovation and knowledge economy measures in the Structural Funds, both in terms of priorities and strategic approaches; as well as in terms of operational implementation; 3 Main needs and potential for innovation in the eligible regions drawing on available studies, strategy development and future and foresight studies; and 4 Recommendations on main investment priorities for Structural Funds over the programming period and their implications for regional development. 591 Malta doc 2

8 2 Investing in innovation and knowledge: a comparative overview of regional performance This section provides a synthetic overview of the relative performance of the country, and where relevant main regions, with respect to the EU25 average for a number of selected key structural indicators of innovation and knowledge. The analysis aims to identify main disparities and needs at national, and wherever possible, regional level with a view to supporting the definition of priorities for future Structural Funds interventions (see sections 5 and 6 of this report). 2.1 Country overview: innovation and the knowledge economy Exhibit 1 below provides a snapshot picture of the relative position of Malta compared to the EU-25 average for a series of key knowledge economy indicators. Exhibit 1: Relative country performance for key knowledge economy indicators Source: calculations of MERIT based on available Eurostat and national data from depending on indicator. Detailed definitions and data for each indicator are provided in Appendix B. Malta is the smallest Member State of the European Union 3 composed of two main Islands, Malta and Gozo with a high population density rate and an open economy square kilometres, eight times smaller than Luxembourg 591 Malta doc 3

9 depending highly on the international context (oil crisis, middle-east context), on transactions with foreign economies and on manufacturing and tourism sectors 4. In addition, Malta suffers from territorial constraints due to its smallness : narrowness of its internal market, waste and water management issues, accessibility and infrastructure issues and costly transportation. After a short period of recession in 2003 due to the unfavourable global economic environment since 2001 which impinged significantly on domestic economic conditions,; the current economic indicators reflect an overall positive upturn in Malta s economic performance, with a nominal GDP growth of 2.41% in and a per capital GDP growth of 5,33% from 1996 to Labour productivity registers the highest rate among new members. The GDP per capita is one of the highest among the new member States (73% of the EU average) whereas it fell below 75% of the EU25 average in 2004 (as compared to 78.5% in 2000). The unemployment rate is under the EU average and was expected to reach 5.7% in December In foreign direct investment, Malta, on a per capita basis, would be ranked in the 6 th position amongst EU member states 6. FDI intensity recorded a major improvement going from 5.3% in 2002 to 3.3% in 2003, through a number of firms in the financial services sector. This sector has played a supportive role as service provider to the economy with the market for banking and insurance services and accounts representing around 12 per cent of Malta s GDP. According to the Global Competitiveness Report, after the initially high ranking of 19 th out of 102 countries in 2003, Malta s ranking slipped down to the 32 nd place out of 104 countries in 2004 and, currently ranks at the 35 th place in 2005 out of 117 countries. The main reason lies in the insufficient performance, both in terms of investments and of human capital, in innovation and research and development and the low level of industry/research collaborations. The figure for Malta s Research and Development intensity as a percentage of GDP currently stands at 0.3 per cent as compared to 1.9 per cent for the EU25. In 2003, Malta s R&D financed by the business sector stood at 18.6 per cent 7. The relatively high score of the High-tech and medium-tech manufacturing indicator (6.1% compared to 6.6% of the EU25 average) is due to the presence of the multinational STMicroelectronics which, with more than 2,300 employees, is the largest private employer in Malta and a prominent actor of the Maltese economy 8. It is also due to the growth of the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector which employs around 500 persons. However the large majority of manufacturing enterprises in Malta are engaged in low tech manufacturing primarily geared to the domestic market. 4 The tourism sector is the the key foreign currency earner. It would account for more than 40% of the total revenue of the economy. Source : interviews 5 In National Reform Programme, page 3 6 according to the 2006 Budget Speech Building on our strengths for a better quality of life, The Hon. Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Malta 7 National Strategic Reference Framework ; Draft Document for Consultation, march Providing around 55% of the country's total domestic exports. 591 Malta doc 4

10 The human resource indicators (higher education, knowledge workers, S&T workers, lifelong learning) show the relative weak position of Malta, compared to the EU average. Malta has a high rate of persons without a higher education, a high rate of early school leavers 9 and low rates of participation in life-long learning. Total tertiary graduates in S&T in the 20 to 29 age group is around 3% compared to approximately 11% in the EU The Chalmers Report 11, of November 2004, identified the development of human resource capabilities in science and technology at all levels of education, from technician level to PhD as a key challenge for Malta s competitiveness. In particular, the report states the education system is too geared towards traditional professions. By contrast, with regard to the ICT infrastructures and diffusion, which is not captured by the exhibit 1, Malta performs well due to a long term political commitment since the mid of 1990s. Malta ranks 28 th on the WEF Networked Readiness Index Rankings 2004, scoring highly on Government success in ICT promotion (5) and Government prioritisation of ICT (11), Broadband DSL Internet subscribers (14), secure Internet servers and broadband cable modem (15) and Internet access in schools (17). E-Society development is clearly an area of success. The relative low innovation performance is also due to a lack of innovation culture both among policy makers and entrepreneurs. With regard to the latter, Maltese enterprises are clearly divided into two groups. The typical exporter has a significant foreign participation in its ownership and/or management, faces international competition and has the ability to adapt and innovate in response to and in anticipation of market dynamics; this group is mainly active in the principal growth sectors high-tech manufacturing, IT-oriented services and financial services. By contrast, the typical domestic market supplier is locally-owned, micro-enterprise, and either an importer or a producer sheltered to varying degrees from international competition with very little ability for innovation and for facing competitive pressures; their mentality is often geared towards serving protected market niches where the concept of innovation is often viewed as a threat rather than an opportunity 12. The smallness of the country also hampers reaching a critical mass of research activities and innovation actors, combined with territorial and financial budgetary constraints which push to focus investments on basic infrastructures, environment and energy infrastructures, basic education and vocational training; making it difficult to implement the political commitments toward innovation capacities development. Within this context and to the extent to which Malta s innovation policy is starting almost from scratch, it is rather normal that the public efforts committed for innovation remain modest. The National Reform Programme announced 3% target of 9 Shool leaver rate was 42,6% in One should note the difference in measuring school leaving age, which is 16 in Malta and 18 for Eurostat calculation purposes. 10 National Strategic Reference Framework, Draft Document for Consultation, March Report of the State Higher Education Funding Working Group to the Minister of Education, Youth and Employment 12 See, ADE, Innovation Policy in seven candidate countries : the challenges. Final Report. Innovation Policy Profile : Malta, Enterprise Directorate General, March Malta doc 5

11 R&D expenditure is most probably not achievable by However, the Malta Council for Science and Technology is currently planning 0.45% of public R&D expenditure for 2007 and 0.3% of business R&D expenditures, for a total of 0.75%. 2.2 Regional disparities and recent trends In order to analyse and describe the knowledge economies at regional level in the EU, the approach adopted was to reduce and condense all relevant statistical information available for a majority of regions. The approach involved firstly reducing the information from a list of selected variables into a small number of factors by means of factor analysis. These factors are: Public Knowledge (F1): human resources in science and technology combined with public R&D expenditures and employment in knowledge intensive services is the most important or common variables in this factor. Regions with large universities will rank high on this factor. Urban Services (F2): The most important variables for this factor are value-added share of services, employment in government administrations and population density. A key observation is that academic centres do not necessary co-locate with administration centres. Private Technology (F3) This factor is most strongly influenced by business R&D, occupation in S&T activities, and employment in high- and medium-high-tech manufacturing industries. Learning Families (F4). The most important variable in this factor is the share of the population below the age of 10. The Learning Families factor could also be understood as an institutional factor indicating a child-, learning- and participation- friendly environment, or even a knowledge-society-life-style based on behavioural norms and values that are beneficial to a knowledge economy. In a second, the 200 plus EU27 regions were grouped into 11 types of regions (see Appendix A) displaying similar characteristics by means of a cluster analysis. Malta belongs to the Low-tech Government regions cluster type, as most of the Southern Italy regions. Malta scores very low with regard to all indicators grouped under the heading Public Knowledge together with the Business R&D, S&T workers and Lifelong learning as well female activity rate indicators. However, on two points (which are not captured by data), Malta differs from Southern Italy regions. It suffers from its smallness as micro-state (as it is not backed by central State support, as for the Italian regions); and it has undertaken huge efforts in e- society and e-governement developments. The position of Malta as a Low Tech Government region reflects the traditionally dominant role of government in the economy, in spite of a privatisation process during the 1990s, spanning from the size of its expenditure to a pervasive direct control which has engendered a culture of dependence on the State and stifled 13 Taking into consideration Malta s specific charateristics and current investment in R&D, it is envisaged that Malta would find difficult to reach the 3% target by 2010 set by the EU the 3% target is not achievable by 2010, National Reform Programme, October, 2005, page Malta doc 6

12 competitiveness and innovation. It also reflects the predominant role of tourism and related services in the economy, together with a manufacturing industry dominated by traditional low cost manufacturing and the development of the financial services and ICT services sectors. Malta is facing three main challenges with regard to its innovation performance, but has started to address them. Firstly, the innovation governance system has room for improvement through a better coordination between the various key actors and the policy instruments which should be combined with the diffusion of an innovation culture among the whole society and the development of a stand-alone innovation policy. The shortcomings in human resources development are the second largest issue. Strong shortfalls exist in the growth and innovative sectors which are preventing direct foreign investments and the development of innovative firms. For the traditional domestic-market oriented SMEs, the lack of high skilled technicians and engineers is a major constraint. Finally, the smallness of the country and the clear division between firms (foreignowned and export-oriented; domestic-market oriented) strongly impact on the low level of collaboration between the research base and the business sector, and business to business cooperation. On the research side (the University mainly), the lack of critical mass pushes the researchers to look for collaborations at the EU and international level with larger universities, research centres and companies. On the entrepreneur side, the export-oriented sector tends to import its innovation from abroad or to innovate in-house ; the domestic market oriented enterprises need, in general, more technical innovations than research-oriented innovations produced at the University and are still reluctant to cooperate. With regard to Malta s performances, the Island of Gozo is facing additional difficulties due to specific handicaps which impact on Gozo s competitiveness: double insularity, size of population and territory (a small island 14 in a small country), access to infrastructure and environmental fragility. Agriculture, fishing, craft industry and tourism are the main sources of income. The public sector is the largest contributor to Gozo s GDP, providing jobs for about 45% of the gainfully occupied in Gozo 15. The manufacturing industry sector is rather small and not technology-oriented including factory based industries (e.g. in the textile sector) and craft industries employing low-skilled people with low added value activities. Gozo suffers also from a mismatch of the education sector with the labour market. It lacks of middle management and people with strong technical background. Its potential for recruiting skilled people is limited, partly due to an ageing population and a braindrain flow to Malta Island. In addition, Gozo faces environmental degradations and biodiversity decline (due to both the tourism industry and increasing building activity). But in terms of innovation and knowledge economy support, Gozo does not require a different support from Malta Island square kilometres, around inhabitants 15 Single Programming Document Malta doc 7

13 Exhibit 2 : Regional factor scores Source: MERIT. The bars are stapled factor-scores showing the deviation (1=standard deviation) per factor from the average of 215 EU regions (0.00). The longer the bar, the bigger is deviation. Exhibit 3 : recent trends in key indicators Unemploy ment Per capita GDP Industry share Agriculture share Population density Tertiary education R&D intensity %-pnt ch. % growth %-pnt ch. %-pnt ch. % growth %-pnt ch. %-pnt ch. EU Malta -- 5,33-0,56-0, Source : MERIT based on Eurostat data for period indicated 2.3 Conclusions: innovation and knowledge performance The Maltese economy has been over the past decades characterised by extensive government interventions. The liberalisation of the market has been achieved only recently; today, the Maltese enterprises are facing an increasing international competition. For these reasons, the political commitment and the priority implementation of a number of innovation related measures are still in their initial phase. In addition, Malta is suffering from a smallness paradox. Its size and geographic location may give comparative advantage in specific areas such as the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector or the ICT sector for which exists a long and strong policy drive and for which the smallness of the island and the urban density could give opportunities to serve as a test base for application of new technologies and new services. This smallness may also facilitate contacts between the innovation key stakeholders, public and private actors. But, at the same time, the lack of critical mass in research and industrial capacities and the lack of interface organisations encourage both researchers and entrepreneurs to import or search for knowledge from abroad, instead of cooperating to create or transfer knowledge. 591 Malta doc 8

14 Exhibit 4: summary of key disparities and needs Region / group of regions Malta Key factors explaining performance (weaknesses) Smallness of the country (lack of critical mass, territorial constraints) Lack of innovation culture and governance Insufficient human resources development for innovation, in particular relating to higher education and high skilled technicians and engineers (shortfalls and mismatch) Low R&D public expenditure R&D not backed by business sector combined with a very low level of innovation capacities within domestic enterprises Acceleration of brain-drain (since EU membership ) Low level of lifelong learning Low access to innovation financing (equity) Key needs in terms of innovation and the knowledge economy Support innovation culture among decision-makers and entrepreneurs Improve innovation governance Better adaptation of the human resources to the economic needs (better matchmaking) Support human resources and skills development, especially in Gozo Development of technology transfer and research / business and business to business (B2B) collaborations (clustering) and improving patenting capacities 591 Malta doc 9

15 3 Innovation and knowledge: institutional context and policy mix at national and regional levels Structural Fund support for innovation and knowledge is contingent on and seeks to strengthen the existing national (and/or regional) innovation system 16 in each Member State. In particular, institutional, legal and financial factors in the innovation system can limit the potential for certain types of intervention. Moreover, within the framework of the EU s Lisbon objectives, Structural Fund interventions are expected to complement and provide added value to national (or regional) policy framework. In some Member States, Structural Fund interventions in favour of innovation and knowledge are marginal with respect to the national investment and policy effort, in others Structural Funds provide a main source of funding for such interventions. In both cases, there is a need to identify relevant national and EU policies which can have an impact on decisions on funding priorities. 3.1 Institutional and legal framework for innovation and the knowledge economy This section of the report appraises two broad factors that condition the potential for coordinated intervention of EU and national (regional) policies in favour of innovation and knowledge: The first concerns the organisational structures of public and semi-public bodies responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring of innovation and knowledge economy policies. In particular, the analysis considers the responsibilities for funding or managing specific types of measures liable to be considered for support under the Structural Funds; The second concerns the institutional, legal and financial frameworks, which condition the linkage of national (regional) financing with EU financing. In Malta, until recently, there was no real formal structure for innovation policymaking. But, over the last year, the Government has been undergoing a process of deep reflection and re-thinking of national policies relating to science and technology, research and innovation and technological development, of which one of the main visible change has been the new prominent role of the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). Placed under the control of the Office of the Prime Minister since October 2005, the MCST has been assigned to ensure more coordinated and coherent policy approaches in research and innovation across Government Ministries and agencies to develop synergies and avoid duplication of efforts. It acts as a catalyst to define and facilitate the role of RTDI activities in support to Ministerial policies and sectoral strategies. Finally MCST is to prioritise and orient national RTDI investment, in particular through the management of the 2004 National RTDI Programme Strategy, to sectors 16 The network of organisations, individuals and institutions, located within or active within national or regional boundaries, that determine and shape the generation, diffusion and use of technology and other knowledge, which, in turn, explain the pattern, pace and rate of innovation and the economic success of innovation. 591 Malta doc 10

16 and niche areas with high business potential and relevance to meet pressing economic and social needs. At ministerial level, the Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is responsible for ICT developments, including e-government (the National ICT Strategy in 2004 and the National Broadband Strategy in March 2005) and drives the enterprise policy through the supervision of Malta Enterprise. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment (MEYE) is responsible for Education, (including higher & tertiary education, vocational training), Employment, Youth and Sports. Finally the Ministry of Competitiveness and Communications (MCMP) is responsible for the competition policy, the small businesses and trade services. It has coordinated across the Government, through the chairmanship of the Competitiveness Council (with MCST and MEYE) and the support of the Management Efficiency Unit (Office of the Prime Minister), the drafting of the NRP. At the implementation level, the MCST, which manages the National RTDI programme, is the national coordinator of Malta s participation in FP6 and directly runs several FP5 and FP6 EU projects. Malta Entreprise is the government agency responsible for innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship policies, in particular in the field of technology transfer, business incubation services and start-ups. It acts as an intermediary for the European Investment Fund which provides counter-guarantee facilities. It hosts the Euro Info Centre, the IRC and manages a Business Technology Network. It also operates the Kordin Business Incubation Centre (KBIC) which targets and supports specialised areas including ICT, mechanical and electrical engineering design of equipment systems, as well as product design, renewable energy resources and biotechnology. Finally Malta Enterprise is leading the Regional Innovation Strategy MARIS project. On the research side, the University of Malta plays the major role and has been undergoing a process of development with the strengthening of existing faculties and the setting-up of specialised departments and research institutes active in different sectors of science and technology. The University is also involved in a number of collaborative projects with local business, mainly in engineering and bio-medical science fields. In addition there are several other research organisations directly funded by the Government as well as private sector and international R&D centres (e.g. the International Ocean Institute). Due to the size of the country, the role of local authorities (local councils) is limited. The Island of Gozo is administered by the Ministry for Gozo which forms part of the Central Government and thus follows and implements national policies and priorities in Gozo. In 1992, the University of Malta established a centre on the island of Gozo. This centre offers diplomas, degrees, masters and short courses. The Ministry for Gozo is using the University of Malta Gozo Centre as the venue for short courses in Agricultural Studies, Business Studies, e-commerce and IT and Environmental Planning & Management funded by the ESF. With regard to the funding framework, the ministries provide funding to public research institutions under their supervision and to the University. The MCST is providing funding to enterprises and research institutions through the three subprogrammes of the 2004 National RDTI programme. Malta Enterprise provides 591 Malta doc 11

17 assistance and funding to enterprises, SMEs and start-ups, through direct grants and loan guarantees. The lack of equity culture should be noted. A Technology Venture Fund was set up a few years ago but was not successful because of the lack of proper business environment and financial engineering skills. It is currently being administered by MIMCOL as of March Exhibit 5: main organisations per policy area. Policy objectives Improving governance of innovation and knowledge policies Innovation friendly environment Knowledge transfer and technology diffusion to enterprises Innovation poles and clusters Support to creation and growth of innovative enterprises Boosting applied research and product development Type of organisation National (&/or regional) public Key private or non-profit authorities and agencies organisations Management Efficiency Unit (Office of the Prime Minister) Malta Council for Science and Competitive Malta: Foundation Technology (eforesee project for National Competitiveness in ) Malta Enterprise (RIS MARIS) Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment (MEYE) Ministry of Competitiveness and Communications (MCMP) Parliament Secretary for Small Enterprises and Self-Employed Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) (entrepreneurship training courses) Malta Enterprise Malta Enterprise Kordin Business Incubation Centre (KBIC) Malta Council for Science and Technology University of Malta Several research centres under the supervision of the relevant ministries Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (researchers mobility portal) University of Malta University Services Ltd (providing short term courses) Competitive Malta Foundation Business Technology Network (BTN) International Ocean Institute Institute of Water Technology Source: study team based on national/regional policy documents, TrendChart reports, OECD reports, etc.. See appendix C for a detailed definition of the policy categories. The Maltese innovation institutional framework is still characterised by a lack of coordination between the different actors at ministerial level and a separation between three main policy fields: education and employment, economy and industry, research and innovation. Within this latter, a clear division is also running between innovation (Malta Enterprise) and research (MCST) policies, combined with a weak structured dialogue on innovation. In fact, the innovation policy depends on a small group of individuals. However, concrete steps have recently been taken to address this issue 591 Malta doc 12

18 through the new role assigned to MCST, the involvement of Malta Enterprise in the drafting process of the National Research and Innovation Strategy for and the establishment of the Inter-Governmental Committee on RTDI bringing together the heads of all the key institutions under the chairmanship of the MCST. In addition, the RIS MARIS exercise, launched in July 2005, will complement this attempt to build a stand-alone innovation policy by support to all innovation stakeholders. There are no particular institutional, legal or financial frameworks which would condition or limit the linkage of national financing with Community funds. In addition the Government is committed to develop a legislative framework encouraging research and development in order to make the registration of patents more attractive, and a suitable intellectual property regime covering research by university staff that should foster collaboration between industry and the University Policy mix assessment This section provides a summary overview and analysis of the national and regional policy mix in favour of innovation and knowledge in which the Structural Fund interventions take place. The analysis is conducted with respect to six broad categories of objectives of innovation and knowledge policies (see appendix C for an explanation of each category). Measures identified per category of the policy objectives are then further sub-divided in terms of the direct beneficiaries of funding (or legislative) action. To simplify, the report adopts three broad types of organisation as targets of policy intervention: Policies supporting academic and non-profit knowledge creating institutions; Policies supporting intermediary/bridging organisations involved in innovation support, technology transfer, innovation finance, etc.; Policies supporting directly innovation activities in private sector. The matrix below summarises the current policy mix at the national level. The intensity of support (financial or political priority) for different policy areas and targets is indicated by a colour coding system. 17 Measures proposed in A Better Quality of Life Pre Budget Document, July 2005, page Malta doc 13

19 Exhibit 6: Policy mix for innovation and knowledge Policy objectives Improving governance of innovation and knowledge policies Innovation friendly environment Knowledge transfer and technology diffusion to enterprises Innovation poles and clusters Support to creation and growth of innovative enterprises Boosting applied research and product development Academic /nonprofit knowledge institutions eforesee National ICT Strategy E-Governance Youth Enterprise Programme EuroMedITI National RTDI Programme Target of policy action Intermediaries/bri dging organisations RIS Maris National Strategy ICT Business Technology Network Smart City@Malta Kordin Business Incubation Centre Private enterprises Business Promotion Act National ICT Strategy Development of VC with public money SME Loan guarantee Scheme START Programme Royal Agreement Scheme National RTDI Programme Legend Top policy priority Secondary priority Low priority Source: appreciation by study team based on national/regional policy documents, TrendChart reports, OECD reports, etc. While the National Reform Programme is not particularly innovation oriented, there is evidence since the beginning of the 2000s that research and innovation are currently occupying a higher position on the national agenda under the influence and pressure of the EU accession and the Lisbon targets, but also of the global context. The present policy mix relies on the RTDI Strategy 2003 (from which the 2004 National RTDI programme results), the National ICT Strategy, a number of initiatives led by Malta Enterprise in the field of innovation support and access to finance, and the Pre-Budget Document 18. The MCST is also currently drafting the new RTDI strategy for Two new projects (EuroMedITI and Smart City@Malta) reflect a clear shift in the policy rationale from investments in science and technology per se to investments in S&T as drivers for innovation and economic growth. These include a philosophical orientation whereby state-financed RDIST should be directed towards value added research in niche economic areas within which success can be attained 19. Priorities that have gone up and are going up on the agenda have been: i) improving the innovation environment; ii) improving the innovation governance; and iii) establishing collaborative research programmes. 18 The coherence of the NSRF with the Pre-Budget Document and the planned RDTI Strategy for is to be noted 19 A Better Quality of Life, Pre-Budget Document, page Malta doc 14

20 Improving governance of innovation and knowledge policies Governance has been improved with the eforesee exercise which led to the formulation of the updated RTDI policy by providing a clear direction on where and how to target priority areas for action, e.g. the poor S&T culture and the low level of industry-academia links. The RIS MARIS exercise is expected also to mobilise key innovation stakeholders around a coherent innovation strategy. Since 2004, the Government (National Statistics Office) has developed a statistical base to track and monitor developments in research and innovation. The Maltese National Reform Programme is in line with these latest developments : a review exercise of the enterprise policy, the setting up of a Better Regulation Unit for monitoring the bureaucratic procedures, the setting-up of a Higher Education Commission (to guarantee the quality of provision and inclusive participation in further and higher education) are announced. Innovation friendly environment Major objectives have been from 2001: improving the financial, legal and tax framework for innovation; developing the entrepreneurship spirit through the Youth Enterprise Programme (an educational programme) and adapting the human resources and the education system to the needs of the economy. ICT are also a cross-cutting issue for enterprise policy, competitiveness policy and education policy. There has been a huge drive for using ICT, especially in the field of e-governance (access to public services) and access to ICT within the education sector. The main measures of the Business Promotion Act (2001) and the Budget Act for 2005 consist in tax incentives for developing e-commerce, for employing postgraduate people and for R&D expenditure and the setting-up of a Venture Capital Fund (2.25 MEUR over three years) with tax credits for VC providers. But it has so far not yet resulted in any significant innovation efforts among firms. The NRP confirms this commitment by earmarking ± 54 MEUR in tax credits and tax incentives. The University, together with the Vocational and Educational Training Council (MCAST), has also created an ICT Academy, in order to fill the shortage of skills in ICT, which delivers courses and certifications and allows trainees to benefit from fiscal incentives. Knowledge transfer and technology diffusion to enterprises There are no specific measures on knowledge and technology transfer and no interface organisations entirely TT-oriented. Malta University Services Ltd., the university private-owned company, is focused on providing short term courses on business management, rather than on valorising research works. No specific support scheme is providing assistance to technology transfer projects. However, Malta Enterprise is attempting to develop technology transfer through the establishment of the Business Technology Network (BTN) which is a technologist-investorentrepreneur network providing a local forum for technologists and investors to learn more about each other s needs through events and on-line forums. In addition, the MCST together with Malta Enterprise, the Fraunhofer Institutes (Germany) and the Public Research Centre - CRP Henri Tudor (Luxembourg) have 591 Malta doc 15

21 launched in March 2006 the project of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Technology and Innovation (EuroMedITI) which aims to develop and empower Malta as an outstanding technology and innovation platform for business-driven services in training, applied R&D, incubation and dissemination in the Mediterranean Region. EuroMedITI is a business-driven initiative aiming at facilitating the development, adaptation, prototyping, testing and deployment of technologies (renewable energies, water and environmental energies, ICT, pharmaceutics) that address the specific demands of the region. Innovation poles and clusters There is no clear policy on clustering and creation of innovation poles while several studies and policy documents have stressed the lack of clusters and well defined niche markets as a specific weakness of the Maltese economy 20. However the NRP and the Pre-Budget Document announced a turning point by intending to review the enterprise policy and building it upon sectors of opportunities. Entrusted by the Prime Minister, the MCST new RDTI strategy for , still under preparation, is also developing a more sector-focused approach. In keeping with this new orientation, the project Smart City@Malta 21, signed the 31 st of March (2006) and operated by the Maltese Governement and Tecom Investments of Dubaï (a service telecommunications network operator and service provider which plans to invest US$300 over the next 8 years) should lead to the creation of an IT and Media Park to serve as an attractive base for top IT companies. It could serve as spillover effect for clustering development. Support to creation and growth of innovative enterprises Since 2004, strong efforts have been made to encourage the creation and the development of businesses, especially technology-based ventures and innovative start-ups. Innovative spin-offs from university and research centres are not targeted. Three inter-related batches of measures, managed by Malta Enterprise with the support of the Business Technology Network, providing facilities, training and access to finance for start-ups and innovative start-ups, have been initiated: the Kordin Business Incubation Centre (facilities and counselling), the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme (loan guarantee) 22 and the START programme (training and mentoring). Start-ups can benefit from the three inter-related measures. The Incubation Centre has been labelled as EU Business Innovation Centre and looks successful, hosting 25 companies and planning an extension in In addition, Malta Enterprise plans to launch a Royalty Agreement Scheme to support proof of concept and prepare entrepreneurs to access venture capital in later stages In particular, National Strategic Reference Framework SWOT Analysis Meeting, September 26 th, 2005 Press Commentaries from the Department of Information, ; see also The Malta Business Weekly, 30 March-5 April, This project is in starting phase (agreement signed last March). It is developed on the model of Internet City Dubaï managed by Tecom in Dubai ( The SME Loan Guarantee Scheme is supported by the European Investment Fund The Sunday Times, February 19 th, 2006, Malta doc 16

22 Boosting applied research and product development The instrument for this policy area has been completely renewed with the objective of increasing public investment in R&D and developing a more demand-oriented research. The three National RTDI sub-programmes 24 are providing financial support for scientific research, ranging from basic and applied research to near-market innovation, through the funding of infrastructures, facilities and collaborative research projects on a call for proposals basis. If it is too early to evaluate its results, however the high level and high quality of responses 25 from the public and private sectors is a positive point. No measures and incentives exist on IP protection and exploitation. The new RDTI Strategy for , still under preparation, should promote a more open culture of decision, a clear target to invest more in R&D and innovation, a more business-oriented research focused on four sectors (ICT/electronics, biotech/pharmeceutics, energy and environmental technologies, and manufacturing technologies), and an improvement of RTDI capacities of firms, including domestic companies. Overall assessment: The expected increase in public research expenditure and the new demand-oriented approach of the RTDI should address some of the needs identified in chapter 2. The measures taken to support innovation governance, to enhance an innovation friendly environment and to boost applied research and collaborative research are highly relevant. The measures targeted to support innovative start-ups are in line with the aim of supporting FDI in high-tech services and manufacturing by providing incentives for the creation of technology-based venture firms, but the measures need to better target domestic companies and encourage more collaborations and partnerships between foreign and domestic firms, even if some experiences of spin-offs from foreign owned companies are recorded. The current policy mix still lacks strong support to clustering, particularly in the field of academia-research-businesses linkages in relevant economic and technological sectors and in the field of technology and knowledge transfers to develop more high added value activities within local firms. Current policy measures targeted to the improvement of human resources for innovation are focused on higher education support and mobility of researchers, but within a limited context. The promotion of a science, technology and innovation culture among the whole population, particularly among students, needs to be further supported. This essential in view of the low share of the population with a tertiary degree and the insufficient take-up of science-based studies at the University. Lifelong learning also needs special incentives. 24 Total amount EURO , in Extract from national budget estimates Opinion of the international panel of expert assisting the MCST in the selection process of the projects funded, see Trend Chart Report Malta, Malta doc 17

23 Recent developments on the policy agenda should better addresses these challenges. The new MCST s RTDI Strategy for , and its planned six priorities and sub-programmes which are still under examination: - a) business RTDI; b) University RTDI; c) training and mobility; d) development of centres of competence; e) science popularisation ; and f) support to innovation governance should be relevant as they target wider research-industry collaborations in a market perspective. In addition, the two new projects (EuroMedITI and Smart City@Malta) open new opportunities for developing technology transfer cooperation and starting a clustering process in the ICT sector. However, for what regards this sector, the remaining great challenge is whether the Maltese labour force is competent enough to meet the demands of this [Smart City@Malta] project and the provision and availability of fresh new workers with specific IT capabilities Conclusions: the national innovation system and policy mix In conclusion, two recent positive trends have to be noted. Firstly, according to EIS data for 2004, there are indications that Malta is catching up on the human resources indicators, with an increase in the S&T graduates and the percentage of the population with tertiary education 27. Second, it seems that the accession of Malta to the EU, and also the international context (increasing competitiveness, oil crisis) corresponded to awareness-raising among policy-makers and decision-makers of the importance of innovation and R&D. The most recent policy debates on the NRP and the current discussion on the future National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) for the Objective 1 programme have provided the opportunity to involve the innovation stakeholders and to raise awareness among the key players. These topics have been given a high priority on the national policy agenda. The National RTDI programme of the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), the new RTDI strategy for still under development within the MCST, the NSRF draft document for consultation and the National Reform Programme , combined with the Structural Funds operational programme and the launching of a RIS exercise in 2005, stress the political commitment to encourage investments in R&D and innovation and to build an innovation strategy. 26 The Malta Independent, March 31 st, 2006 extract from an article written by Tony Abela, Parliament Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Trend Chart Malta Report, 2005, page Malta doc 18

24 Exhibit 7: Funds Key opportunities and constraints for investment by the Structural Policy objectives Improving governance of innovation and knowledge policies Innovation friendly environment Knowledge transfer and technology diffusion to enterprises Innovation poles and clusters Support to creation and growth of innovative enterprises Boosting applied research and product development Opportunities for Community funding (national priorities) Favour a coherent and stand-alone regional innovation strategy Favour linkage with FP7 (Capacities) Human resources: diffusion of a science and innovation culture among students, researchers, and domestic firms; mobility of researchers to industry; life-long learning Favour linkage to FP7 (People) Financial engineering : development of a VC sector favour linkage with CIP Develop business support structures for encouraging TT (university liaison office, technology park, interface organisations, EuroMedITI) Favour public-private partnerships and networking on a project basis Favour the embedding of FDI in local economy through technology transfer Favour a clustering process (e.g. Smart City@Malta) and identification of niche markets Favour the development of higher added value activities in the manufacturing sector and services sector Development of innovative startups, in particular new technologybased ventures firms (FDI) Development of academic spin-offs Early-stage equity financing favour linkage to CIP Create linkages between businesses and research centres Favour funding on a project basis Favour linkage to FP7 (Cooperation, People, Capacities/SMEs) Initiate use of EIB Constraints or bottlenecks (factors limiting Community funding) Innovation governance practices and culture still to be strengthened Management capacity Smallness of the country Brain-drain effect due to EU accession Lack of equity culture and of proper management skills Reluctance to innovation among local firms ( Island Mentality ) Management capacity and skilled innovation and TT managers Lack of trust among local entrepreneurs towards innovation Weak relations between foreignowned companies and local entrepreneurs Identification of niche markets still under process (with the exception of the ICT sector) Availability of trained people in some sectors (e.g. in the ICT sector) Weak relations between foreignowned companies and local entrepreneurs Weak entrepreneurship culture among students, academics and researchers Lack of equity culture and of proper management skills Low level of public R&D expenditure Lack of private co-financing 591 Malta doc 19

25 4. Structural Funds interventions to boost innovation and create a knowledge economy: This section of the reports provides an analysis the patterns of Structural Fund expenditures in the fields of innovation and knowledge-based economy during the current programming period ( for EU-15 or for the new Member States). It examines the patterns from both a strategic point of view (the policy mix pursued by the Structural Funds programmes) and at an operational level (consumption of funds, management of innovation measures, indications of relative effectiveness of measures, case studies of good practice). 4.1 Strategic framework for Structural Fund support to innovation and knowledge Strategic approach to innovation & knowledge in Structural Fund programmes The Single Programming Document Objective 1 Malta covers the entire Country, with a specific axis dedicated to the Island of Gozo. It covers an area with a total of 402,700 inhabitants (2005), of which around 50,000 in Gozo. Whilst Malta and Gozo as an entire country are classified as one unit at the levels of NUTS1 and 2, Malta and Gozo are also considered as separate regions at NUTS3 level (even though Gozo has a smaller population around 30,000 inhabitants than a typical NUTS3 region), allowing for specific arrangements for Gozo to be negotiated in the framework of the Structural Funds. Source European Commission, DG REGIO 591 Malta doc 20